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Writer's pictureUzochi Okoronkwo

5 things I learned from #KNOTGATE2024

September 9, 2024. A day I will always remember. A day I have coined Knot Gate 2024. It all started with a knot. No, I'm not kidding. A knot in a piece of clothing. To be more specific, I tied a knot in a 1997 Issey Miyake Rainbow top I sourced and paid for. This is one of the most rare pieces I have ever found, so naturally I was really proud of myself and happy to share it on the KO Vintage social handles. First I posted on Instagram, no issues. Then next Twitter. and that is when all hell broke loose...




1997 Pleats Please, I can understand why the trolls are mad.


The infamous knot that had over 200,000 people foaming at the mouth.


At first, I was receiving mostly positive comments about my superb find, and even compliments on my outfit. Then I noticed some QRTs written in French. Out of curiosity, I translated them and they read along the lines of "why would you tie that top into a knot? what is wrong with you?".


Then Black Twitter got a hold of It and the onslaught of rude, disgusting comments started pouring in. You really don’t Know the feeling of being attacked by thousands of people until it happens. This is what I learned from the experience:


1. Herd mentality is prominent on Twitter

Like I said, it started with a few comments and then I woke up to over 1000 people making various negative comments, jokes, and comments that were downright disgusting and violent. There was actually someone who said I should be aborted and I just want to understand how someone could say something so disgusting just because of a knot… I do believe most people joined in on berating me because they saw others doing the same and wanted a small ego boost for the day. Weak people embolden other weak people and because of a perceived support amongst each other people felt encouraged to dog-pile on me and say unnecessarily rude things. It really is pathetic that adults can behave in such a manner but that is the world we live in I guess.




2. ALL press is good press.


Of course if you are getting bombarded with lots of negative comments about how your outfit sucks, how you should be ashamed, or how you should "give that top to me!" (at least 200 of yall said this) your first instinct would be to delete the post and HIDE. I resisted the urge and I am so glad I did. My post got over 6 million impressions, something I was never able to accomplish before! Traffic to kovintage.com also increased by over 680% in one day! I also got over 300 new followers to the KO Vintage Twitter page as well as two items sold the day my post went viral. I am happy that people who align with what I am trying to accomplish with KO were able to find me, even if it had to be under these circumstances. The saying "all press is good press" indeed rings true.



3. Some people are miserable and jealous and will talk crazy to you online because they can.


I did get some comments with general fashion advice and how to wear the top, which actually I didn't have an issue with. Some of the outfits presented were actually really cute, and I did not mind people sharing their ideas. What I did have a problem with were people being negative and disgusting by calling me names like "bitch" and saying I didn't deserve to own such a gorgeous top. It really shows how entitled people are because why would I not deserve something I worked hard for and paid for with my own money? The energy the trolls put into trying to bully me really could've been spent on their job and getting some money so they can afford the things they want. I really do not understand peoples logic on hating on someone else and being so nasty to a perfect stranger online and I thank God I cannot relate to such people.



4. Do not engage, just BLOCK.


At first I did fight back at the haters that were criticizing me. Most of the people who had something to say did not fit the description of fashion critic (that is me trying to be polite here) so I asked them to show me how they style themselves, specifically their Pleats Please pieces. of course I got called all kinds of elitists for that but what else should I say in that moment? If you don't like how I am wearing MY shirt, why don't you show us how its done? After the post went viral though I obviously could not respond to everyone so I just blocked. If I am ever in a situation like this again, I would definitely just block anyone who had something negative to say because I don't care to see it and now you are talking to yourself.


5. Everyone will have an opinion, just do you.


At the end of the day, opinions of others do not matter. And negativity on the part of others won't change my life: still gonna buy (not rent) beautiful archive pieces, still going to sell vintage in excellent condition to people who appreciate what I'm trying to accomplish with my business. Still going to travel my heart out, eat exotic foods and read interesting books. Still going to live life in my peaceful bubble I've created for myself here in Tokyo. And those who had so much to say...you're still going to be doing whatever it is you're doing.



My overall takeaway from all that transpired is don't let anyone bully you, understand 100,000 people can have something to say but always DO what you want and what feels right, even if its as trivial as tying a knot in your shirt :)


Thanks to those who read this entire post, I am open to any comments and hope this post can open a dialogue!


Hope everyone has a an amazing day and looking forward to sourcing more pieces for you guys!


-PW









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